The Santa Clarita City Council will decide Tuesday whether to approve a list of recipients of this year’s community services and arts grants totaling $112,500.
The city awards money each year out of its parks and recreation budget to organizations that compete for it though an application process.
The city is poised to distribute $72,000 in $5,000 maximum allotments to service charities and $40,500 in $7,500 maximum allotments to arts organizations, some of which use the money to offset the cost of rent for their productions at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons.
Two panels sifted through the applications and are making recommendations for funding.
The charity group panel included Mayor Bob Kellar, Councilman Frank Ferry, Parks & Rec Commissoner Chris Fall and city staff. Twenty applications were received and 14 are moving forward.
Weeding through the arts applications were Kellar, Ferry, Arts Commissioner John Dow and city staff. They selected seven of nine applications for funding.
The following groups are recommended for funding:
Community Services Grants
* $5,000 each to A Light of Hope, Avenues of Supportive Living, Carousel Ranch, Child & Family Center, Domestic Violence Center, Family Promise, LARC, Partners for Potential, SCV Committee on Aging (Senior Center), SCV Food Pantry, SCV Youth Project and Single Mothers Outreach.
* $4,910 to Bridge to Home (homeless shelter), $4,458 to Pleasantview Industries and $2,632 to Crime Survivors.
Arts Grants
* $7,500 each to Canyon Theatre Guild, ESCAPE Theatre, Golden Valley High School, Santa Calrita Ballet Co. and Santa Clarita Master Chorale.
* $6,090 to Repertory East Playhouse and $4,410 to The ARTree.
According to a staff report, a council member who has a “remote interest” in an organization that’s up for funding – meaning he or she “serves on the executive board of a nonprofit corporation applying for grant funding” – can’t vote or participate in the discussion. In other words, Councilman TimBen Boydston, executive director of the Canyon Theatre Guild, and any other council member who serves as a titled officer of an organization on the list would have to recuse themselves.
City to Award $112,500 to Arts, Charity Groups
